Carter County standout Ramsey will stay local, inks with ETSU

Published 3:28 pm Friday, April 21, 2023

By Ron Marvel

Star Correspondent

Lyndie Ramsey, who has picked up more hardware over her career than your local Lowes, signed to stay with ETSU. The four-time All-State and two-time 1A Miss Tennessee Basketball Finalist will take her skills to Johnson City and the Lady Bucs.

In front of a large crowd in the gymnasium at Unaka High School Lyndie wasted little time putting her name to her Letter of Intent and will play D1 basketball next year. ”ETSU just felt like home to me; some of my friends are going there next year, their coaching staff was so nice and they are willing to help you any way they can” Ramsey shared. Ramsey plans on studying speech therapy and in addition to her accolades, she sports a 4.0 to boot. Unaka Lady Rangers Coach Kenneth Chambers was not short on praise when the topic of Ramsey came up. “What sets Lyndie apart from everyone else is her work ethic; if she ever felt she didn’t play well she immediately wanted to get back in the gym,” Chambers stated.

Ramsey will be remembered not only as an Unaka great but one of Carter County’s all-time best on the court. She set records that will, in likelihood, stand for a very long time, including a record of 2902 career points. Still, the friendships she made will always outweigh the records, “when I came here they welcomed me with open arms, the friends I have made here will last me a lifetime; this school is so supportive,” Ramsey said. She also encouraged those who came after her to go after her records, “don’t ever be satisfied with where you are; give everything a 110%; people around you may not want to put in the extra work that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.” Coach Chambers shared that is what her attitude to always compete is what made Ramsey special, “she has a never quit attitude, on the court and in life, if she felt she could beat someone she would put it all out there, it didn’t matter if she was sick or hurt or things weren’t going her way, she just pushed.” Chambers exclaimed.

One of the things that went into her decision was the remarkable season the Lady Bucs just had, led by Lady Bucs Head Coach Brenda Mock Brown. The Lady Bucs last season went 25-10 and played post-season in the Women’s Basketball Invitational, where they finished the tourney in third place. “This past year, I went to a lot of their game and you can see how they compete and the intensity they play with,” Ramsey shared. Coach Brown shared online what made Ramsey a fit for ETSU, “she’s a proven scorer, and competitor; she will be a great addition on the perimeter for us next season. She brings a high work ethic, elite 3-point shooting and high basketball IQ; we are glad to welcome her to our Buccaneer family.” One of Lyndie’s other deciding factors was her brother Connor who suffers from Down Syndrome whom Lyndie takes inspiration from “he makes me look at life in a different perspective, God blessed me with him, if I’m in a slump or need motivation he picks me up every time, He also reminds me to be thankful for the opportunity I have in life.” Her reason for choosing speech therapy as a major is not one without reason,

Ramsey also acknowledged the importance of playing on a D1 team and understands that her hard work is just getting started. Ramsey shared thoughts on the path before her, “going D1 means a lot to me and I couldn’t have done it without the ability God gave me, I know the challenges in front of me and I know I am going to have to compete for a spot and work harder than everyone else.”

When an athlete reaches that point where he or she has to decide where they are going to continue their playing careers, one of the questions they have to ask is how important is playing time. Lyndie Ramsey had numerous offers at other smaller schools where she would’ve in all likelihood, with her skill set, would have been a day one starter. But with the challenge of playing at the highest level in front of her, Lyndie chose the path that some are not willing to walk; her choice speaks volumes about her character and drive. She will do this county proud!